There’s no time like the spring to jump-start your fitness routine, but go slowly to avoid injury.

Nice weather can bring on the urge to get outdoors and get moving. But if you’ve been relatively sedentary all winter, you’ll need to ease into a fitness routine.

“In the spring, people have this awakening and feel they have to do everything now or embark on something new,” says Susie Shina, author of Fit Enough and owner of Fitness 180, a personal training company in Canton, Ga. “But if you exercise too hard too quickly, you can get injured or feel uncomfortably sore or burned out within the first few weeks, which can derail the best intentions and keep you from making a commitment to exercise.”

A slow but steady start of just 10 to 15 minutes of daily walking initially, building up to possibly an hour or more of intense exercise over several weeks, will help condition your muscles, including your heart, so you can safely participate in the activity of your choice, whether it’s running, swimming, cycling, tennis, or mountain biking, Shina says.

That’s the goal. To help you get there, try these training tactics for getting back in the game and making exercise more than a spring fling.

Sign Up for a 10K
Spring is prime time for 5K and 10K benefit walks and races, and half and full marathons—and participating in one is a fun way to get back in shape.

“Charitable races give you a goal and a deadline, and that’s helpful for giving you accountability,” says Shina.

Many organizations that sponsor such events even provide a graduated weekly online training schedule leading up to the event. That’s guidance you should follow.

And, as always, get the all clear from your doctor before starting any new fitness program.

Commit to Boot Camp
Signing up for a local boot camp class—where you’ll use weights and do many of the same exercises you do in a gym, but outdoors—is yet another way to safely get back in the swing and enjoy nature.

In many boot camps, you’re partnered with someone at your same level, so you can help each other. The key is to find a boot camp class that’s a good fit for your fitness status.

“There’s one for everybody—older adults, moms with babies, the ultra fit, even people who want to get back into exercising,” says Shina.

Team Up
Working out by yourself is fine, but teaming up with a fitness buddy can be a motivating way to jump start your spring and summer exercise routine.

“When someone is counting on you to walk every morning, for example, you’re more likely to show up,” says Shina.

With a buddy, be sure to vary your routine or your route and push each other to do more. Doing so will keep boredom at bay.

Joining a neighborhood cycling club or participating in a league sport you enjoy also can fuel consistency and boost motivation.

“Having the camaraderie of a team makes you want to get out there and play,” she says. A team or league sport also can help you meet an exercise buddy.

Even if you’ve been exercising all winter and just want to try a new spring sport, keep in mind that you’ll need to start slowly to avoid injury.

“Just because you’re in shape for one activity doesn’t mean you’ll be conditioned for another,” says Shina. “Working out in the gym isn’t the same as mountain biking or soccer.”

Sandra Gordon spoke with Susie Shina, author of Fit Enough, Endymion Press, 2009. $14.95, and owner of Fitness 180, a personal training company in Canton, Ga.

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